By Norman Bordadora
Philippine Daily Inquirer
The Supreme Court has upheld the six-month jail term meted out on Lintang Bedol, the former chair of the Maguindanao provincial board of canvassers, for contempt in connection with the Commission on Elections’ probe into the alleged poll fraud in the province during the May 2007 elections.
In an 18-page decision, the Supreme Court denied Bedol’s plea for a preliminary injunction to stop the Comelec from imposing the jail term and the P1,000 fine on one of the persons allegedly involved in cheating in the last elections.
The high court upheld the Comelec’s authority to conduct investigations as an adjunct to its constitutional duty to enforce and administer all election laws.
The court said the Comelec was exercising its quasi-judicial power in pursuit of the truth behind allegations of massive fraud during the elections in Maguindanao.
The high tribunal held that the Comelec’s investigation was derailed by Bedol’s refusal to appear during the scheduled hearings and to answer questions regarding various election documents which, Bedol said, had been stolen while they were in his possession and custody.
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